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Desperate Living

Play trailer Poster for Desperate Living 1977,  1h 30m,  Comedy/ Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist 73% 11 Reviews Tomatometer 80% 5,000+ Ratings Popcornmeter
73% Tomatometer 11 Reviews 80% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
A housewife (Mink Stole) murders her husband, runs away and ends up in a town ruled by an evil queen who wants to infect her kingdom with rabies.

Critics Reviews

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Eric Henderson Slant Magazine Jun 24, 2026
Desperate Living is John Waters’s most furious political statement. Go to Full Review
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Feb 28, 2012
C+
Even John Waters himself was not entirely pleased with his weird tale of mad housewives and eccentric lesbians in revolt, but the performances are good. Go to Full Review
Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com Sep 14, 2005
3/5
Bill Gibron DVD Verdict Aug 22, 2005
92/100
Desperate Living [is] a movie that feels like three separate films fused together. The first and the second are fantastic. Go to Full Review
Daniel M. Kimmel Worcester Telegram & Gazette Feb 8, 2004
3/5
Philip Martin Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Dec 30, 2002
2/5
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Audience Reviews

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Finn S Apr 28, 2018 without Divine, it couldnt be as great as the previous movies, but i liked it. i liked all the john waters movies
Theodore R Jun 23, 2017 Wicked funny but gross movie. queen carlottas reign is probably no different than Saddam Hussein, OBL or Kim Jung Un, behind the scenes. See more
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Desperate Living

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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John Waters

Director

Liz Renay

Muffy St. Jacques

Mink Stole

Peggy Gravel

Susan Lowe

Mole McHenry

Edith Massey

Queen Carlotta

Mary Vivian Pearce

Princess Coo-Coo

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Desperate Living

Desperate Living (1977) Desperate Living (1977) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A housewife (Mink Stole) murders her husband, runs away and ends up in a town ruled by an evil queen who wants to infect her kingdom with rabies.
Director
John Waters
Producer
John Waters
Screenwriter
John Waters
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 27, 1977, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 29, 2013
Runtime
1h 30m
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